The latest statistics from 2006 show that there were 2,669,050 household burglaries that year. That equals 1 household burglary occurring every 12 seconds. Are you doing everything you should be not to become a victim? There are some easy things you can do to avoid being burglarized.


Burglars do not like to be seen - Cut away hedges and bushes that are blocking a clear view of your windows. No matter how small the window is make sure there is a clear view of it by a passer-by, your neighbors to the sides or your neighbors to your backyard.


Exterior lighting - Light up the area around your home at night, especially around doorways. If you go out for the evening make sure you turn your outside lights on. Burglars like to work in dark areas and will avoid a home that is lit up and clearly visible from the street.


Make it look like someone is home - If you are going out for the day make it a practice to leave a radio on or the television on. This helps to give the appearance that the home is occupied. A burglar would rather break in to a home that is unoccupied instead of risking a confrontation with a homeowner. If you are going on vacation, stop your newspaper and mail delivery and put a couple of lights on a random timer. If you don't, you might as well put up a sign that says, "This house is vacant. We will not be back for some time. Please, feel free to go in and browse around and take what you want".


Install an alarm system - You can either have an alarm company install a monitored alarm system and pay a monthly fee, or, you can install an economically priced alarm system that you can install yourself. The systems you can easily install yourself can include different features. The system can have an automatic phone dialer, it can include an ear piercing siren, a bright flashing light, or have all of these features. There is even a motion alarm available that triggers the sound of an angry barking dog. All of these things will help to scare a burglar away from your property.


Install a surveillance camera - Maybe in the past this would have been a tough thing to do, but with the various wireless models available on the market today it is very easy to find a "plug and play" surveillance camera. If you cannot afford a real surveillance camera you might want to consider a "dummy security camera". They are much less expensive then the real ones but usually have the actual outside casings so they look authentic. Some of them even rotate when motion is detected and some have flashing red lights. Put them in very visible areas around your house where a potential burglar is likely to see them, and the burglar will most likely move on to an easier target instead of taking a chance of having his picture on the evening news.


Take a few minutes to protect yourself, your family and your home and you will reduce the odds that you will be a victim of a burglary.